MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – A late rally by the No. 1 University of North Georgia softball team led to the Nighthawks securing a series sweep over Georgia College and State University in their three-game Peach Belt Conference series.
Sophie Mooney (W, 7-2) supplemented
Tybee Denton in relief as the two pitchers continued their momentum from the first two games of the series, allowing just four hits and one run combined.
Mooney finished with three and one-third innings of relief, earning the win after striking out six batters while allowing just one hit and no runs. Denton finished the first four innings, allowing one run on three hits.
It was a quiet first four innings as the Nighthawks managed just one hit, failing to plate a run until the top of the fifth as they answered GCSU's lone run in the game from the bottom half of the fourth.
Olivia Sinquefield gave life to the UNG offense with a left-field solo homerun to tie the game at 1-1. The solo shot to left was Sinquefield's second hit of the day, reaching base in the second inning on a single. Sinquefield was the lone Nighthawk to record multiple hits on the day.
Mariah Wicker followed up with a solo home run of her own, giving the Nighthawks the eventual game-winning run in the fifth.
Madison Simmons and
Jolie Lester tacked on two insurance runs, with Simmons earning a single in the sixth and Lester with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to make it 4-1.
Next Up
North Georgia sets up for a doubleheader against their 2022 NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regional opponent Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday (Apr. 19), set to begin at 1:00 p.m. The Nighthawks defeated the Railsplitters two games to one to advance to the 2022 NCAA DII Softball Championship.
